Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines, has been called “a visionary writer and activist” who chose to reveal his powerful story in a 2011 New York Times Magazine essay. In a follow-up article one year later, his photo appeared on the Magazine’s cover along with other undocumented immigrants, and in 2013 he directed the CNN film Documented narrating the details of his personal journey.

Vargas continued publicly to share his path and to champion other undocumented immigrants through his 2018 memoir, Dear America: Notes from an Undocumented Citizen, and in his role as producer for the Broadway play, “What the Constitution Means to Me.” He advocates for the rights of equality and citizenship and challenges audiences to consider the question, “How do you define ‘American’?”